USA Basketballannounced its final roster for the World Championship on Tuesday, with Rajon Rondo removing his name from consideration.

The 13 players on the roster had all shown over the last five weeks that they can contribute, and the final cut was going to be a difficult one, but in the end, it appears that USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and chairman Jerry Colangelo didn’t have to make that decision.

“Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of before the NBA season,” Colangelo said in the team’s press release. “He did an outstanding job during our training, we appreciate the effort and commitment he made to our program and he completely has our support.”

Rondo had started the team’s scrimmage against China last Saturday, as well as its first two exhibition games. But he was replaced in the starting lineup by Russell Westbrook for the second half of Saturday’s game against Lithuania, and by Derrick Rose for Sunday’s game against Spain. In fact, he didn’t play at all in that thrilling 86-85 victory in Madrid.

It had always appeared that guards Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook were the players on the roster bubble, but all three played well enough to earn their spots on the roster.

A pest for opposing ball-handlers, Rondo was ideal for Krzyzewski’s pressure defense, but he was the worst shooter among the six guards left on the roster. And he has been careless with the basketball at times.

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Krzyzewski also replaced starter Tyson Chandler with Lamar Odom for the game against Spain. The original starting lineup of Rondo, Chauncey Billups, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Chandler was very strong defensively. But with to non-shooters (Rondo and Chandler) on the floor together, that unit struggled to score. In its first three warm-up games, the U.S. averaged just 14.3 points in the first quarter.

In a closed scrimmage against China, they scored on just three of their first nine possessions.

Against France, they scored on just five of their first 17 possessions.

Against Lithuania, they scored just four times in 21 first-quarter possessions.

But against Spain, with Rose and Odom in the lineup, the early offensive struggles were minimal. They scored just once on their first five possessions, but followed that with a stretch of six scores on seven possessions and finished the quarter with a 23-16 lead.

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The U.S. will play its final exhibition game before the World Championship on Wednesday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN), taking on Greece in Athens. Greece, the team that knocked off the U.S. four years ago in Japan, has looked very strong in exhibitions and is clearly one of the favorites to win gold.

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The final roster for the World Championship, which begins Saturday, looks like this:

Though there’s no more worries about being sent home, Curry, Gordon and Westbrook are still likely competing for the back-up guard spots in the rotation.

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How about we get to some mail?

From Kipp (Parts Unknown):

Dropping a note to say we need to check out the assists… 11 assists [against Lithuania]? Won’t work in int’l hoops. Won’t win many games ANYWHERE with 11 in 40.
Keep up your great work
peace

The lack of assists is definitely something I noticed. Through their four games, the U.S. has just 66 assists on their 129 field goals, which is a pretty low ratio (51.2 percent). In fact, 29 of the 30 NBA teams had a higher ratio last season.

You can blame Rudy Gay (since the Grizzlies were the only team with a lower ratio), or wonder if the scorekeeper in Spain was more frugal than Zach Randolph when it comes to handing out dimes. After all, assists are the most subjective stats in the boxscore. And against the U.S., Lithuania had just 10 assists on 25 field goals and Spain had just 15 on 28.

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From Jose in Madrid:

Why do you think Coach K hasn’t selected more centers? Why not select young players like Paul Millsap? I think the American Team is a very good one, but very undersized in my opinion. I don’t know if it’s because the coach likes running game, or may be big good players weren’t avaliable and he chose getting very good players, although they were a little small.

It’s all about availability. Krzyzewski and Colangelo did select more centers. David Lee, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez and Amar’e Stoudemire were all in the original pool of players when the team first got together in Las Vegas, but three of them were gone by the first day of camp, and Brook Lopez (recovering from mono) wasn’t able to make it past the first phase of training.

If they had lost just two guys and were down to only one center, then you can say they made a mistake. But you can’t really plan for four departures at one position.

Plus wasn’t Rondo the last to actually commit to the team? Maybe the family problems started then and his family told/encouraged him to give it a try, but knowing what was happening at home became to much to think about while playing basketball. Sometimes deaths in the family are devastating for some people.

With all due to respect to everyone that previously posted in, Rondo was the smallest player on this team. And while being the smallest he was the best on ball defender, too. But I believe that the sitting out of him for a game to decide between Curry/Westbrook for the last spot rubbed him the wrong way. This is the one of three players on the team with a championship, and he didn’t like it. I do believe that he was going to be the starter despite not having a jumpshot, because of his ability to penetrate and pass, a skill that is valuable with a group of shooters. Don’t rag on the fact that he plays with the Big three in Boston as there were many times where Rondo carried the team, and in PG matchups he usually comes out the winner. Rose and Westbrook do rebound as well. Curry and Gordon shoot better than he does. Billups leads just as well if not better than Rondo, but none of them can combine all those attributes like Rondo does. To those that say he SUCKS, CHILL PLEASE. Dude has major game, but an ego as well and maybe this wasn’t the venue for him. And maybe he realized before it was too late. Nothing wrong with that decision. He should be applauded for his decision to walk away before things went wrong for him. He is still in the program just as much as all of the other players. And when the Olympics come back around he will be back in contention for a roster spot again. The guy is young and has a lot of time left.

chris paul is the best point guard in the nba bare none…derron williams may be bigger but better i doubt it. There are only two point gurads that i have seen playing now that go anywhere on the court while dribbing and not have to pick up their dibble while doing it…Nash and Paul. By being able to do this they can break down anyone defense..no other guards in the league can do this under total control.Chris Paulis a natural point guard…Williams is a real good point guard,but not a natural one(played the two in college)Paul has it all passing ,dribbing shooting . Id give him the edge on Williams as far as passing goes the other two catorgories about even. The bottom line on playing point guard is who can get in the paint, and be under control and make a play either scoring the ball or making a good pass someone can use.So for me its chris paul ,derron williams, and an old steve nash in one catorgory and the rest…. and you have to judge these players on what they can do on a stage like playing for the usa team and not the team the play on during the season,cause playing here all things are equal and your talents and faults will be exposed as we have seen player like Rose struggle(even though i like him)and just for the record Step Curry has this kinda of talent where he can play good and be effective against anyone.

Rondo needs this time after the death to get his head straight. Thinking long term for both the Cs and USA bball its best to give him time to recover mentally and time will eventually tell who the better pg is. Trashtalking always will happen but please! Even the greats would have had a bad streak after a death in the family… The question is how long will it take to pull themselves out of it!

u bostons fans r getting all upset cuz rondoo is not on the team speciually to the kid that is all crying cuz rondo is not on the team an said i hope greece beats the us kid ur a lil hater lol….. get off rondos meat he couldnt play anyway cuz of death in his family so stop. plus rose is better then rondo.. so is chancy i dont agree wit stephon curry or eric gorden but rondo will have his go 1year now let him breath

All thses Rose fans.. Yea he can fly, Rondo obviously better all around with better chemistry on this team.. As for Rose he isnt doing much to help.. Anyone can score if they play 30 mins.. If Rondo or Steph playd for that long the numbers would be round 20 plus for steph, atlease 5 & 5.. Rondo bout 10, 8, 8.. not just 16 pts.. Rose shuldnt be in..

other than billups there is no gaurd better than rondo on the roster, sure these young gaurds have all this athletic ability
but you need more than that in a elimination game you need character, focus, and the disipline to not make a crucial mistake when the game is on the line. “which we have all seen ROSE, WESTBROOK, AND CURRY do more than any of the guards.” CHANCEY is going to give you a solid chance to win also with the game on the line i dont worry with the ball in RONDOS hand. BIG GAME SITUATION ROSE, WESTBROOK, OR CURRY with the ball im scared to death, wait, have these guys even made it out of the second round? PLAY HARD but dont forget to play SMART.

Yeah that not rue Zeerak, everyone of our guards and players and general have been stealing the heck out of the ball against EVERYONE. We have the best halfcourt d in the tournament so get your facts straight man.

Rose better than rondo? since when is scoring a huge part of being a point guard? I like how rondo is better at rebounds, assists, steals, has a higher IQ for the game not to mention a better defender, yet people suggest the rose is better just because he can shoot the ball better. 29 pts, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists. When Rose puts up a stat line like that, we can begin a debate on who’s better but until then there’s no contest

Wow. Rondo was hands down the best defensive player on the team. Its obvious that Coach K doesnt care about defense. He just wants offense (Rose,Durant,Granger). Non of the other pgs play like pgs. A point gaurds job is to pass and become the defensive core. Rondo was the best out there. I think Rondos going to be back next time Team USA unites. Go Boston!

I think this is D-Rose time. Really good game against Spain with him, and I think Rose must get more time on the floor in WC. He has amazing speed(I think he’s fastest PG in the world), he’s non a good a shooter, but I think he’s better shooter than Rondo. I hope Coach K will gave him a minutes in WC.

Look, Rajon definitely didn’t get cut. If any of you out there are saying that the U.S. dropped him, you MOST OBVIOUSLY haven’t been following FIBA basketball up to this date. There were three players already on the chopping block, and Rondo wasn’t one of them. Also, when Rondo didn’t play against Spain, many game analysts believe it was because there was a real possibility of a U.S. vs. Spain semi-final, and since this exhibition didn’t matter, that keeping Rondo off the court was going to be an advantage for the U.S. Not a secret weapon, but a weapon nonetheless. Finally, Rondo asked to be removed from the roster, even though he WASN’T in danger of being cut. If you can read, it says above, Rondo has some family matters that have come up, that he wishes to take care of. Not a Boston fan, but you really gotta get the facts straight.

Rondo is one of the best PG in the game, he depends, rebounds and assist. Rose is good but as a scorer. If Rose is better, he should have brought the Bulls to the Finals this past 3 seasons yet each time, he got clobbered by Rondo’s team. Rose scores more because he has the ball all the time and shots it, needs to pass it some time because basketball is a team game.

Rose, Rondo, and some of the other new cats are excellent players, but D-Will is hands down the best point gaurd in the league. No one gives any love though, but all he does is carry his team by himself with size, speed, vision, rebounding and scoring. He can do everything. Clearly the most complete PG there is now that Nash is headed in to the end of his career.

Rondo decided to remove himself from consideration for Team USA. It is a shame because during international play you need a pass-first PG and Rondo was just that. All this talk about Rose is exactly what it is-talk. Rondo and Rose are two different types of guards and if anyone thinks Rondo can’t hold his own against Rose then rewind the tape of 2009 playoffs first round series vs Bulls. Rondo is too much of a competitor to just quit so I do believe that other personal matters took place that led to this.

Hey!! To all Rondo & Boston haters I’ve got some words for you!!
If you gonna say that Rondo is one of the worst PG’s among Rose, Westbrook Curry & Billups I will say that you don’t know basketball. Who among those PG’s have triple-double as what Rondo did in the playoffs? Why Kobe & Kobe is guarding Rondo on the Finals? Can’t you distinguised how good he is being a PG? And his defense is absolutely one of the best. Just take a look at the best plays of Celtics, how many good assists & moves he made. HE IS THE NBA’S ONE OF THE BEST PG’S WITHOUT ANY DOUBT!!! Do you still remember how Rondo crushed Lebron then Howard & near-miss with Kobe? C’mon men, don’t give those silly comments of yours to Rondo..

WTF!.Rajon was the best point guard of the team. None of those PGs dribble the ball like Rondo. Eric Gordon should be the player that was cut. He still had not gone to any playoff game. How such foolish decision if an NBA player refuses to be in the USA team. Every player dreams of winning a gold medal. RONDO will play if he had to.

I’m excited to see Team USA play now that the roster is finalized. I’m really happy that they kept the guards that they did because I really wanted to see all 5 of those guys in action, especially Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, and Steph Curry. They’re the point guards now, although Curry will play both 1 & 2, as will Chauncey Billups, and Eric Gordon will just play the 2. Rose and Westbrook will be the primary racehorses to run this team. This will be a great chance to see those 2 and Curry in action. I can’t wait to watch the games.

i think , team usa needs someone like rondo . rondo is a real PG and has the skills of being a good PG . i really admire his playing style although he lacks shooting abilities . he is a good passer and can create for other guys at clutch times . maybe , this is not his time . i’m looking forward to see him on the next FIBA games playing for a USA . ^^ .

its a shame Rondo was one of the best on the team. He could have really helped team usa but maybe he will make the team another year. hH will still be playing for the Celtics so he will help them go to a championship game.

the real big problem of the team usa is big man…how can chandler, love and odom sustained the big guys of the european teams specially the spaniards?. like odom he is a natural 4..if they can find the right antidote in the middle i think u.s will win the fiba tourney.

ok look fans rondo is the best young gaurd in the league setting records in a franshice that rose will not be able to survie in. take it in rondo is the gaurd in the league and is gonna add another ring to his case before rose, curry, billups and westook.

the withdrawal of rondo.. makes the world championship not exciting to watch.. no more jaw dropping ball fakes and behind the back passes .. actually he’s more like a true pg than those who are left in the roster.. team USA needs him..
rondo is better than all of them.. especially rose…

Am I the only one that thinks that Westbrook should have gotten cut? I don’t think he wasn nearly as impressive as Eric Gordon (I never even knew who this guy was…..but after these exhibitons & games I most certaintly do now). Maybe he left because of family problems maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. What I do know is the team will most certaintly look different in the next game against Greece. For better or for worse.

Rondo should not be cut, it should be S.Curry or R.Westbrook. I’m a Lakers’ fan but I think Rondo is one of the best PGs. Remember USA Team in Beijing 2008, Kidd and Paul did not make alot of long shots

Was i the only one seeing rose as SG and rondo as point. That combo could cause problems for any team period. Rondo best point guard period cause he ummmm lets see has a ring and lead his team to the finals.

There is no chance in hell Rondo is better than Rose, he’s not even better than Steph Curry. Take Rondo away from KG Pierce and Allen and put him on the Bulls and see how he does. Put Rose on the Celtics and you have a BETTER (yeah BETTER) team than the Miami Heat.

I think that US is going small this time but does have a good chance with their speed and good shooters. Im sorry Rajon, we could’ve used you but I hope everything goes well with your family. I personally believe that Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant are leaders and will take US to the Championship. What does everyone else think????????? D-Money

It’s a shame that the best point guard on the team left…hopefully with Rondo gone the USA team won’t play selfish because Rondo was the best passer on the team and loved to distribute but, its ok he’ll be ready with the celtics to win another ring this year good luck USA

Rondo is a big game playmaker. We should not be surprised that he did not perform in the exhibition matches – these did and do not matter. Though the other pg’s are top notch, Billups is not the player he was. We will miss Rondo in the final games with the pressure on as it is these games when he becomes “special”.

It’s because he got blocked by Derrick Rose during the Bulls vs, Celtics playoffs matchup, that’s why! Nah im kidding boston fans. But off the subject here, Tyreke Evans was cut, but Steph Curry wasn’t. So does that mean Curry was more deserving of the Rookie of the Year? Cause FIBA obviously has a higher degree of difficulty, and Curry pushed through. So, i dunno.

Evans didn’t make it due to a bad ankle, in a way he bowed out. Both players really deserved the ROY, but Evans had overall the better year. It could also be that Evans just didn’t fit the team, but Curry did. Evans was basically a one man show in Sacramento, but Curry was the ballhandeler for two ball hungry people. Both of the rookies have diffrent styles of play, and Curry’s may have just fit the team better.

I think Chauncey Billups was given a pass…I think out of all the guards he was the least talented in my opinion,cant really penetrate and when he does making silly turnovers. Old slow and fat (a good guy though) missing lay-up and constantly getting beat on defense. Give Stephen Chauncey’s minutes and see how many points he avgs…Gordon is much more physical with range on his three. Rose and Westbrook can run circles around him and Rondo defense puts him ahead of him. People will say Chauncey is a veteran player and you need that…did you see the kinda shots he took when Spain took the lead(terrible shots) forcing bad shots. You can respect a guy all you want but don’t just give him a spot on things he’s done in the past the time is here and now.

lol. you guys are oblivious. he clearly was the worst performing guard on the team. he was trying to get flashy and you can’t do that in international play. that will get you beat. he posted the pouty message about how he thought he wasn’t gonna make the team, that’s clearly something to do with it. this “family” stuff happened a while ago. he would have stayed and played had he thought he would make it and everyone knows it…

Whether it’s his ego or family matters that caused him to leave, it really doesn’t matter because what we the fans/viewers/haters see is his game. Team USA will miss Rondo’s crazy defense and his basketball IQ, but I’m sure the team will still do extremely well without him. Team USA’s strength is in all the guards, and there are plenty (Billups, Rose, etc.) who will play differently, but just as well as Rondo.

Not sure why Rondo went home…nor do i care. I doubt if he would’ve been cut though because he was the best defender on the team…PERIOD. Coach K benched different players periodically to look at chemistry, so playing time wasn’t the issue. For ex., i don’t recall Granger getting major minutes against Spain either…do you? All things considered i didn’t think USA would win anyway, even with Rondo. This is a significant drop off from the Olympic team with Wade and Kobe. And it’s not like that team waltzed to Olympic Gold. Wade was the x-factor on that team…who is this team’s X-factor?? Uh yeah…let’s not all answer at once.

Pity about Rondo having to leave the team however US will now *really* struggle without him. Sure you need scorers but whose going to defend the other teams PGs …. Billups??? Hope the US medal but it won’t surprise me to see them leaving the Worlds early.

well i think that rondo should stay in the team because he’s one of my top 3 in the nba. he;s the best point i every seen so i think that family business should go first then basketball. and this team is way good with rondo but still the U.S will still win the FIBA Championship. Go Rondo #9!!!!!

ok…people…you have to keep westbrook over rondo because he has the chemistry with durant….and with all things considered this usa team…rondo has done nothing compared to d rose…that being said Coach K would have chosen those 2 guys over rondo anyhow…

well im pleased with the roster of the us considering the avaiability of the players, if they can build a good perimeter shooting and a good inside-out offensive with a good 3-point percentage i can put them easily in the run for the podium, but lets not forget that this is a world championship: every team is defending the proud of their home countries and want to win just like (and maybe more) than the us. so i conclude: this a competitive roster, but not a blind call for the gold

SMH he probable didnt like how the team offensive set up was focused on just fast paced bball instead of well setup half court play, then he probable thought that it wasnt worth it 2 spend most of his off time before da season,playing a style he dislike while he was missing out on family time. idk it could be alot of different reason but i know that 1 of da reason wasn’t because he was about 2 be cut. Anyways hopefully he spend needed time with his fam and work on his weak spots in his game ( FT%, and consistent 20ft jump shot) and then he finally take #1 point guard(already top 5) Celtics 2011 champions. USA still should win gold without Rondo.

with all respect i thinf team usa y very small, the froncourt probably will have problems against brazil (varejao/splitter) spain (garbajosa/Gasol) or argentina (Scola and oberto)
Sorry but my english is not very good

no he didnt. rondo got a triple double in one of those games and set some pretty good plays. and by the way wat happen 2 kobe shooting percentage it was TERRIBLE ! PLUS fisher was guarding ray allen not rondo because rondo was 2 slow 4 rondo because he was old.

I dont get the whole US team anymore. I havnt followed for a while but was wondering why is it that the team is never the best players anymore? Is this simply becuase they dont want to represent their country at a wold championships? I know they turn up for the olymics. Its kinda fun to see with lesser players because you see them perform but still you know although they are very good players, they still arent the best.

Rondo’s leaving the team made that final roster decision easy after all. The team will miss his court vision and passing ability, and to some extent, his defense, although Russell Westbrook is the same kind of pesky defender who forces lots of turnovers, and Rose, Gordon, & Curry are also very good. It may turn out to be better for the team after all because all the other guards shoot better than Rajon Rondo. As long as Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Steph Curry step up and play as well as they can, the point guard position should be in great shape. And we can always fall back on Chauncey Billups at the point, although he will play more minutes at the 2 than the 1. Now all our players shoot free throws well, so we shouldn’t lose a game because our point guard only hits 60% of his free throws. All the other players make at least 70% of their free throws, except Tyson Chandler is a career 61% FT shooter. The guards’ career FT percentages are much better, though, led by Chauncey Billups and Steph Curry at .892 & .885, respectively, then Eric Gordon at .830, Russell Westbrook at .798 and Derrick Rose at .776 – all of them make over 75% of their free throws and that could be a very crucial component to winning these games. I’m sure Team USA will miss Rondo’s passing some, but the guard position is still very strong, and 4 of the 5 guards play the point and play it well. Not having Rondo there will allow Westbrook, Rose, and Curry to really show what they can do.

well i thiing rondo should have got to stay on the team. hes one of the most dinamic point guard in the nba. plus he splits defence like a knife through butter. hes extremely talented and team usa will have a harder time with out his presence on the floor in the championship

Come on now…let’s get real. There is NO family issue involved here. That is a cop-out, a public relations remark . The bottom line is Rondo just plain QUIT…because he was not getting the quality time and there are better point guards playing ahead of him…that can shoot the ball. He took his ball and went home before the embarrassment of being sent home by Coach K. Trust me, he will have no future opportunity to play for Team USA as long as Jerry Colangelo and this current staff are involved. Good riddance.

its said the best u.s. players stayed home. this team is good. just good. many of You can imagine better u.s. team. for guys from other countries to play in national team is great honor and duty. for nba players there are more importat things… it’s said.

Rondo definitely played good during those exhibitions. I think his lack of shooting ability though made him not a great fit for the team. This guard situation has been kind of crazy, everyone has played well so it’s tough to decide who the odd man out is. Personally, this may sound crazy ,but I think Chauncey has probably been one of the worst guards but we can’t cut him because of his leadership role on the team and he knocks down big shots. Other than that though, he’s been sloppy with the ball and he takes alot of dumb shots. All and all I think the US is going to beat every team in our group and hopefully we are sharp for the elimination round.

RONDO needs to attend family matters. He wasn’t cut but he chose to withdraw. we all know how awesome he is when he single-handedly trashed the Cavs and the Magic in the NBA playoffs. In this site, he was picked as the best performing point guard in 2010 playoffs. so, how’s that sound?

That’s a shame, Rondo’s defense put him ahead of the other point guards. However, Rose will still do a great job as starting PG, and the USA roster is the same roster that beat arguably the toughest team (Spain). USA still has a lot to prove, but I think they can do it.

No way Rondo was going to get cut… He was Coach K’s favorite player behind Durant… and Rondo would be perfect for team USA, cuz he is an all star that is used to playing with a team full of superstars already. People saying he can’t shoot… why would he have to? Keep in mind Rondo lead all gaurds in the league this year in Steals, and FG%… cuz he takes smart shots, mostly layups… He is such a smart player and knows how to maximize his god given gifts… including his extraordinary length and speed…

Rondo just said less than 24 hours ago that he thought he’d be cut. Had he not said that, it’d be more believable that he’s leaving due to family matters. I mean, I don’t doubt that has something to do with it… I just don’t think it’s the only thing.

I think this was more about his ego. He didn’t like being benched vs LTU and didn’t like the DNP vs Spain. He didn’t play well vs LTU, but EVERY player has had a bad game or two. There are quite a few players that have benched as well. Rondo was the team leader in assists.

I always felt the final cut would be between Rondo and Westbrook. I hope they chose the right guy. Westbrook wasn’t all that great until the LTU game.

Well the difference maker is gone for USA so I really dont see gold in the future of this team. Rondo is a great on ball defender and can view the court with ease. Regardless D Rose is a great replacement so GO USA!!

OH WOW!!!
Rondo was the 2nd best player on the team after KD. I know he can’t shoot but he was one of the best defenders on the team and they cut him. Hope they never win a chanpionship. Go spain and greece beat usa. We saw defensivly how the pg’s on the usa team struggled aganist spain.
He didn’t withdraw the coach told him that he was getting cut and he told the the charman that he was withdrawing. If u look at how the coach responded, he said rose was a better fit to chancy.
HOPE USA gets smacked.

i think your theory J, that’s what i was first thinking. but then i read an article a few days ago regarding sitting out some players to watch the ones getting cut. give them an opportunity on the floor so coaches can see which ones to cut among guards (obv. cuz there are alot of guards) rondo was in already and had a better chance then steph curry, eric gordon, and maybe westbrook. so they sat out rondo cuz they knew they needed him. he’s the one guard who can seriously put pressure on defense and he can grab rebounds. the coaches don’t need all great shooters. one of the other 3 can be let go. probably eric gordon or steph curry with the 80% ok injury.

I’ll miss Rondo, and his defense but they have really struggled on offense. I would start C. Billups at point due to his Exp. plain & simple. Steph Curry at the other guard, NO one and I mean NOONE shoots like him period. Use Derrick to spell C Billups and get penetration, and those other two guys to spell S Curry.. Danny Granger, K.D., and L.O.and I guarentee you they’ll stop struggling on offense, it all about coaching at this point.. If they don’t see that and tighten up with their X’s and O’s, especially their O’s, they are not going to beat these countries whose teams play together year round. I like coach K. but its time to show the world you still know how to put the best players on the floor, to get the results you need, or they’ll come home with nothing!!

Derrick rose needs to start. He shows leadership on the floor and is clutch. He can get his teammates involved then attack and get to the rim or FT line with ease. The lineup we saw against Spain is well balanced..

i think we needed rondo to win, his basketball iq and now US doesnt have a true point gaurd.
thats the problem wit most pg’s that have a jumper they shoot first. get the team envolved then pick the defense apart with smart plays. if the go threw durant most of the game they should be alright but hes been known to have bad shooting percentages in big games. ALL IN ALL COLLECTIVE DEFENSE IS THE ONLY WAY WILL WIN.

Rondo better is a better defender, Rondo has better court vision\passer, Rondo is a better rebounder, Rondo can also attack the rim as good as rose….Like i said he’s a WAY better all around player Enough said look at the stats.

rondo is much better than rose. who won the point guard battle in the 2009 playoffs….. rondo! hes a POINT GUARD he gets assists, steals, rebounds and runs the fast break. He’s not the best scorer, but he scores when boston need it e.g cavs vs celtics game 4, 28 points. why do you need to score when you have paul pierce, ray allen and KG on your team? Rondo’s a better POINT GUARD, Rose is a better scorer.

To all those Rondo fans, please don’t compare him to Derrick Rose, unless you know basketball and look at the facts! Rondo plays in Boston witht the big 3 therefore when he makes passes he is passing to future hall of Famers who know how to play the game and knock down shots when he passes, Derrick Rose played with a bunch of young guys and guys passed their primes who all had mental laps and/or couldn’t buy a shot to fall. That’s where all that court vision and assists come from, the on ball defense is good but who wouldn’t be a better defender with KG, Kendrick Perkins, and other good role players played behind him, because you can be aggressive as you want when you have players who know and understand the game and will cover up your mistakes or shortcomings, and that’s the same for rebounding, when you have to block out KG, Perkins, Rasheed or whoever they had at the time who was really worried about Rondo on the glass. We will see who the better Point Guard, Better all around Player, and will go deep in the playoffs this season. And Rondo did have a death in his family, but even before that he was one talked about when discussing cuts beccause of his inability to shoot and sloppiness taking care of the ball. He then saw that after starting three games and that his time was being cut in the second half of the Lithuanian game and didn’t play at all in the Spain game. He knew he was given his chance and that the other guards alll outplayed him and that he would possibly be cut so the pulling of his name saves face, and now he can go work on his game and get ready to play with four future hall of famers.

he got cut he was the worst pg and was picked over Chauncey Billups, Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook. “Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of before the NBA season,” lol thats just an excuse for his lack of his performance

Right because when you have a death in your family and you play at such a high level you obviously need to make excuses? Get over yourself! When you get to play at such a high level, make an all-star team, win a ring as the leading pg of your team, have the respect of the entire team and have a death in your family, then come and talk. But don’t put up such ignorant comments about making excuses when you know that there were family matters which had to be resolved during the time he was on the team.

Hey read this and you BOSton/Rajon Rondo fans read this:The broadcast also had its interesting moments. ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla suggested, not so subtly, that the American team was better off without Celtics guard Rajon Rondo. USA Basketball announced Tuesday that Rondo was withdrawing to attend to personal business.

Fraschilla mentioned that Rondo’s stubbornness wouldn’t mesh well with team chemistry and Mike Krzyzewski. Fraschilla went on to say Rondo’s departure was “addition by subtraction” and would benefit the team’s other guards.

But best wishes to both parties. The 18th Awaits; go get it RR. I would rather Skates works on his game, mid-range, three pointer and FTs, while playing that pesky defense. I wish the US team the best.

I was wondering why Rondo was sidelined during the Spain game. He’s one of the best guards there, his shooting was pretty bad though. Oh well, when you look at that killer line up, the US pretty much have it in the bag. On the other hand, if Spain just played better during the exhibition for the first half, they would have definitely won.

I support USA, but it would be a great story if Spain could defend their title.

he wasnt cut, he was not the worst player in the team, but also they already have 2 good point guards with billups and D. Rose. i mean rondo is an awesome player but they would have had to share minutes and at this point D rose and Billups need to be on the court as much as possible, i knew Lopez was going to be cut. he is not as athletic as the other guys and lamar odom and durant have important roles. but this us team is nothing compared to the last one. that was trully an all out bid for a championship with kobe and lebron, melo, and all the others. the new players really need to step up and play hard. to get to the level of all the other superstars then there wouldnt be a powerhouse in the miami heat, they could all be good teams since everyone is considered nba calliber players, meaning they all deserve to be there.

Rondo is awesome.. he could have made it if he wanted to …
Wow that sounds like some whining if I’ve ever heard it.
This is some my players better than your player bull come on man.
Rondo’s a good player but he’s a product of his big 3. Get over it
Rondo’s just good theres nothing wrong with that. Man you Boston fans
sound like Knick fans.

Im no boston fan, infact, i really dont like paul pierce as a player. But you have to admit, as a point guard Rondo has really stepped up his game. Assists, scoring, not the best shooter out there, but seriously which other guard out there right now i believe the point guard whos top of the table right now is him. He plays a very strong team game and thats probably what really helped them get to the finals last year. without rondo theres no way they would have even got as close as they were to winning game 7. And game 7? well bad luck, they had Artest, arguably won them 7 with tremendous effort. I think Rondo leaving (or being cut) what ever way you put it doesnt matter anyway, you can see the teams dynamic is a different fit from the style he plays. Especially if the team is adapting to european style zone defence and offence. They need shooters to hit the elbow and extented elbow shots. And as you know Rondo isnt that guy.

umm ok lemme speak for all us boston fans wen i say this
chris paul derrik rose etcthey all leadaac o scrubs which is the easiest thing to do
rajon rondo he leads a group of beasts and that my friend is very hard if i do say so myself
so wen u wanna dogg rondo again get *all* of the facs strait ok thanx
BOSTON BABY!!!!

Maybe because of the fact he was getting his starting job handed over to others he started realizing he wasn’t where he wanted to be. Rather than getting embarrassed by getting the wave, he bowed out knowing it was going to happen anyway.